World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide

« The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye #30 »
Watch the paint.
"World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide"
Publisher	IDW Publishing
First published	June 25, 2014
Cover date	June 2014
Written by	James Roberts
Art by	Alex Milne
Colors by	Joana Lafuente
Letters by	Tom B. Long
Editor	John Barber
Assistant editor	Rebecca Huard
Continuity	2005 IDW continuity
Chronology	Current era (2014)

Megatron's trial comes to a head while in the present day, things on board the Lost Light start falling apart.

Synopsis

Six months in the past, the trial on Luna 2 takes an unexpected turn as Ultra Magnus informs the court of Megatron's decision to retract his earlier guilty plea. As Starscream, Rattrap, and Autobot High Command look on in anger and chagrin, Magnus delivers an affidavit on Megatron's behalf. Magnus recounts the alleged reasons behind the defendant's change of mind: while initially content to let justice take its course, the prosecution's course of action has convinced him that the trial is nothing more than a grandstanding political maneuver to promote the Autobots' version of events, including his "attempted mental violation" by Chromedome and Optimus himself presiding as Chief Justice. However, as Ultra Magnus is about to suggest a second course of action, the surviving Terrorcons and Seacons, freed from the brig of the Lost Light, storm the arena with the intent of rescuing their leader via orbital jump. As Optimus and co. move to engage the loyal soldiers, Seawing implores Megatron to grab his extra teleport pack, only for the former Decepticon leader to apologetically refuse. As the Decepticon soldiers are swiftly defeated, Optimus decrees that the court will adjourn for a brief recess...

On board the Lost Light, assistant bartender and "entertainments officer" Bluestreak runs Brainstorm and Rung through the various Earth films he's got in store for the patrons of Swerve's while Whirl, confined to quarters for the suspected theft of Ultra Magnus' desk tidy, looks on through his holomatter avatar. Skids urges Riptide to finish his drink or risk being late to Megatron's education seminar, only for the Hydrobot to reply that class was cancelled today. This exchange gives Swerve opportunity to voice his displeasure with their new captain and predict that the class is yet another rung in the ladder of Megatron's domination of the universe.

At the recess, high command converges to hear Ultra Magnus conclude Megatron's argument: in concurrence with the ancient legal system of Luna 2, different and separate from that of Cybertron, Megatron has invoked his right to be tried by the only body which can objectively process his charges: the Knights of Cybertron. Prowl and Starscream are quick to protest this unwelcome development, but Ultra Magnus insists that the trial cannot be reshuffled for the convenience of the prosecution's argument, and Optimus is quick to back him up, pointing out that their handling of the trial is just as important as the actual outcome. Rattrap also speaks up in favor of their argument, pointing out that such duplicity belies the trial as a strictly black-and-white moral affair.

In the Lost Light's medibay, Ratchet, Ultra Magnus, and Megatron look on as First Aid examines the contents of the mysterious coffin: Rodimus's apparent corpse. Though he is able to quickly confirm the gaping head wound as the cause of death, there is no obvious evidence that the figure isn't their captain...much to the shock and confusion of Rodimus himself, who arrives to view "his" corpse, bickering with "co-captain" Megatron all the while.

Before the trial's conclusion, Optimus visits Megatron's cell once more, confronting him about his earlier request to have the trial take place on Luna 2, under the pretense of the arena there being the only structure large enough to contain all the people he has ever wronged. Megatron insists that his intentions are not to escape justice, but to atone for his crimes by finding the Cybertronian race a new home in the form of Cyberutopia, the fabled domain of the Knights of Cybertron, after which he will gladly let justice take its course. Optimus hands Megatron a datapad and promises to uphold Megatron's wish and let him join the Lost Light crew—as long as he relays the message on it to the crowd.

In the medibay, Megatron's barbs rouse the sulky Rodimus into action. Calling on Nightbeat, Chromedome, Brainstorm, Skids, and Nautica, he charges "Team Rodimus" with using their considerable abilities to determining the nature of the dead doppelgänger. While Megatron looks on in disgust, Chromedome attempts to extract memories from its ruined brain, and Nautica inquires about Brainstorm's early Early Warning System (for those times that your early warning system just isn't enough). Nautica notes the presence of spectralist symbols on the coffin, causing Ratchet to theorize that Drift, a practicing spectralist, may have been the one to build the coffin. His speculation is cut short as Chromedome and First Aid announce the bizarre and rather disturbing truth: based on the body's surviving memories, and the age of its innermost energon, it's none other than Rodimus's future self! As the early early warning system delivers a warning, Rodimus reasons that he should be able to upset any such time loop relatively easily, and immediately decides to lop off one of his arms with a chainsaw. Megatron points out that his future self's arm could very well have been reattached postmortem, and Nightbeat realizes that this future Rodimus is missing the "crisis vote" engraving in his palm. Rodimus reveals that he removed the engraving after a conversation with Ratchet, only for the others to ignore him and stare in shock as part of the ship's hull disappears behind him!

Foreshadowing!

In Swerve's, Tailgate proves that old habits die hard, wowing the patrons with tales of his heroism on Luna 1. Getaway approaches, applauding the little 'bot as Cyclonus silently looks on. The escapologist asserts that Tailgate's lifesaving actions on Luna 1 were a feat worthy of the title of Prime, much to Tailgate's embarrassment, before taking a seat and asking why Tailgate changed his arm decal back to "Waste Disposal," causing Tailgate to recount his bid at reinventing himself as a hero. Getaway sympathizes, bringing up his own less-than-illustrious career before joining the Diplomatic Corps, before giving Tailgate an affectionate "bomp" on the chin. Neither of them notice Cyclonus storming out of the bar in disapproval, but the sudden blaring of the alarm is enough to get their attention.

At the height of the trial, Megatron makes good on his part of the deal and recites Optimus' message, renouncing Decepticonism and its ideals and ordering its members everywhere to do the same. With this damning discreditation, the trial plays out exactly as Optimus had promised, and Prime even stops by Megatron's cell afterwards to congratulate him. Megatron remarks that the old him would have vowed death on Prime, but Optimus responds that that is exactly the point. Optimus leaves satisfied, not noticing Megatron bury his head in his hands.

Later, Rodimus gleefully shows an unimpressed Ratchet the new Rodpod the crew has built him, before his exultant demeanor abruptly gives way and he remarks that it's a hard time to be reminded that people are fundamentally good. Confused, Ratchet presses the matter, and Rodimus comes clean about reading Atomizer's list of the 89 crewmembers who voted to remove him. Ratchet furiously reminds Rodimus that such conduct is very much illegal, but Rodimus reassures him that he had already made up his mind not to act on the information, and is considering telling Magnus the truth about the affair after the latter is done with Megatron. Ratchet fills him in with the outcome of the trial and the revelation that they are anything but done with the apostate. As Ratchet fills him in on the specifics, Rodimus is overcome with rage and disbelief. Ratchet grimly concurs before handing him back the list, saying that a universe where a Decepticon mass murderer can sit on an Autobot bridge makes it easier to forgive Rodimus's actions. Rodimus complies with Ratchet's suggestions and destroys the list as Ratchet tells him that he was wise not to act on it, as it's a fake. When Rodimus asks how he knows, Ratchet replies that his name isn't on it.

As more and more pieces of the Lost Light begin vanishing, Megatron orders the crew to evacuate to the shuttles. Rodimus yanks him off the intercom and into the Rodpod, sparking off another ill-timed round of bickering as the shuttles take off. Ultra Magnus stills the spat with some truly frightening news: The Lost Light has fully given in to the mysterious decay and completely disappeared!

Featured characters

(Characters in italic text appear only in the flashback portion of the issue.)
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

Ultra Magnus: "Your honor—is it an abuse of process to request that the presiding judge intervene?"
Optimus Prime: "I will allow it."
Hun-Grr: "Objec—"
THWOK!
Hun-Grr: —shnn!"

-PUNS!

Megatron: "You've been sulking in the shadows ever since we took off."
Rodimus: "I've been taking stock!"
Megatron: "No, Optimus "takes stock." I "take stock". You sulk. You're sulking now."
Rodimus: "I'm confronting my own mortality! I'm having one of those—those existential crisises!"
Ultra Magnus: "Crises."
Rodimus: "Not now, Magnus."

"If there are still some memories in my dead lookalike, you could read them and find out if he's really me."
"You do realize that interfacing with a corpse is highly dangerous. I could die."
""Could"! The luxury of "could"! I'm already dead!"

—Rodimus and Chromedome

"Got any theories, Perceptor?"
"One or two."
"Is that all? I've got hundreds."
"Then you clearly have a lot of eliminating to do."

—Brainstorm and Perceptor

"What are you doing? UNHAND ME!"
"Shut up and follow me. Oh, and for future reference? Only bad guys say "unhand me"."

—Megatron and Rodimus

Notes

Continuity notes

• Snap Trap and Hun-Grr's crews of Decepticons were locked up in the Lost Light's brig in issue #12. It's fitting that they, of all the Decepticons present for the trial, should be the ones who stage the attempted escape; after all, they were among the 'Cons mentioned by Megatron in issue #26 who were still out in space, doing dastardly Decepticonny things, instead of trying to live in peace like most of those on Cybertron.
• Whirl's holomatter avatar reappears, last seen in issue #13. As with several of the other avatars that appeared in that issue, which sported different Alex Milne designs on the cover of the comic compared to the Guido Guidi designs they appeared with in the story, Whirl is here redesigned with a more punkish look, featuring chains, big boots, and spiked knee- and elbow-pads.
• Ratchet posits a poor attempt at shadowplay as a possible cause of coffin-Rodimus's demise.
• Scrawled in graffiti on Megatron's cell wall is the partially-obscured phrase "Equal Rights For Knockoffs", a slogan denouncing prejudice against those who were constructed cold. We heard Brainstorm rattle this tagline off in issue #17.
• The communicube Megatron was seen handing Rodimus in issue #28 is revealed to have contained a request to move the trial to Luna 2.
• Megatron's reaction to Chromedome's mind-reading needles may be a callback to his extreme reaction against having his mind read (or altered) in issue #28.
• Drift was flagged as a "practicing spectralist" in issue #22.
• Rodimus tries to not think about the circumstances of Drift's departure, back in issue #16. Considering it was Rodimus's fault, you can't really blame him...
• Rodimus's adventures as mentioned by Chromedome include "waking up in Nyon" (Autocracy taught us that Hot Rod hails from Nyon and #36 will imply this means his 'birth'), "finding the Magnificence" (as seen in Spotlight: Hot Rod), and "the speech at Rivets Field" (given in issue #1).
• Swerve snapped photos of Orion Pax, Magnus, and Rodimus drinking in the bar in issue #23; here one of those shots is framed and hanging on the wall.
• The previous Rodpod was destroyed in issue #25.
• Rodimus got the (false!) list of crew votes from Atomizer last issue.
• Ratchet notes he voted against Rodimus staying on as captain; we don't need to rattle off a laundry list of Rodimus's mistakes that led to the crisis act being invoked, but in Ratchet's case, it was likely the blaming and exile of Drift, with whom he was forming a complicated relationship, that earned his vote against him.
• The deleterious effects of Megatron's canister of "superfuel" on Trailcutter last issue are explained here: it's actually Fool's Energon, a toxin created by Quickmix that drains his strength.
• As the alarm sounds through the Lost Light, an unidentified 'bot with an animalistic alternate mode appears sitting opposite Groove in Swerve's. Though the colors and body design are different, his helmet is a dead ringer for that of the mysterious thief who stole the Matrix of Leadership millions of years in the past, seen in issue #19.
• When Rodimus decides to cut off his arm, he makes to sever his right; does this mean that he's a southpaw? When he destroys the datapad, he does toss it into the air with his left hand...

Transformers references

• Ultra Magnus's use of a big honking hammer is a callback to the signature weapon of his Animated and Prime counterparts.
• Getaway's nickname for Tailgate, "Scout", is also a size class for Transformers toys. Specifically, small toys.

Real-life references

• Bluestreak has brought along a selection of human-made movies from his time on Earth, including Zulu (right), Aguirre, the Wrath of God, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and À bout de souffle. Whirl is a fan of the latter's director, Jean-Luc Godard.
• Right after we hear Swerve loves Earth comics, we see him flailing a dramatic hand while he exposits a supervillainy scheme Megatron must be up to.
• The arena in which Megatron's trial is held is named the "Raskol arena", the Russian word for "split" or "schism". The term specifically refers to the 17th century splitting of the Russian Orthodox Church, triggered by reforms introduced by its patriarch; no coincidence, then, that the Raskol arena should play host to such a shattering change to the Decepticon movement following a pronouncement by its patriarch. Indeed, real-life Russian parallels have played a large role in Roberts's expansion of Decepticon history throughout More than Meets the Eye; the general mindset and growth of the party is evocative of Communist Russia, and several Russian loanwords have been used to describe activities during the war, such as "samizdat" (describing Megatron's writings in issue #9) and "pogrom" ("anti-Neutral progroms" were carried out by Soundwave, according to issue #4). James Roberts has also described Megatron as akin to Raskolnikov from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel Crime and Punishment on his Twitter feed, so the name "Raskol" might be a reference to that.^[1]

Errors

• When we see Hosehead in Tailgate's audience, the back of his head is colored gray by Joana Lafuente — as is toy-accurate. When we last saw him two issues ago, Josh Burcham colored his helmet entirely red.
• Bluestreak claims to have "spent time on Earth as part of an infiltration unit". Ah.... no, he didn't. He wasn't part of the unit that appeared under Prowl's command at the start of IDW's comics; in fact, during the time infiltration units were in play, he was stationed on the Autobot Orbital Command Hub and saw action on Varas Centralus, as seen during Stormbringer, and didn't make his way to Earth until the 2009-2011 ongoing series, after infiltration protocol had been abandoned. Nothing saying he couldn't have picked the fondness for Earth culture up then, of course.
• When Optimus hands Megatron a datapad with the speech to disband the Decepticons on it, his words are "Freedom of Movement"; the "t" is not bolded like the rest of the phrase.
• Page 13, panel 2: When Rodimus says, "...then the future in which I die..." the "I" is written with a sans-serif letter I. This is in contradiction to More than Meets the Eye's normal lettering style, which like most comics uses a serif-adorned I for the first person singular pronoun. (For comparison, look at Rodimus's other two uses of "I" in the very same word balloon.) This is fixed in the trade paperback collection.

Crew manifest

• Rodimus is revealed to be alive (at least for the moment) and "co-captain" of the Lost Light.
  • Confirmed previous crew: First Aid, Rodimus, Smokescreen, Siren, Atomizer, Highbrow, Blaster, Mainframe, Hound, Powerglide, Slapdash, Dipstick
    • At least 30/79 original crew still on board, 2 departed
  • Confirmed new arrivals: none this issue
    • At least 17 new crew members since second launch
  • Confirmed departures: The Lost Light itself?

Soundtrack

• "Speedway" by Morrissey^[2]
• "Rise" by Public Image Ltd^[3]
• "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" by Radiohead^[4]

Other trivia

• On page 5, Rung's Lost Light scale model appears to be missing some bits, foreshadowing the ship's bizarre disappearance.
• Hun-Grr's on his third name spelling since his introduction in IDW continuity. He started out as "Hun-Grrr" (the most prevalent spelling of his name in the 80s), until issue #12, when it was changed to "Hun-Gar" (a never-before-seen spelling, and a change also reflected in Monstrosity). Now, he's Hun-Grr, the spelling from the original Marvel series.

Foreign Localization

• Swedish
  • Title: "Hörru, sluta stirra! Del 3: Förutbestämmelser - en handbok för nybörjare" ("Hey You, Stop Staring! Part 3: Predestination - A Handbook For Beginners")

Covers (6)

• Regular cover: The Rodpod and various shuttles abandon the Lost Light, by Alex Milne and Joana Lafuente
• Subscription cover: Rodimus hands over the Lost Light's keys to Megatron, by Nick Roche and Josh Burcham
• 30th Anniversary cover: Megatron sits on the Lincoln Memorial as seen in the original The Transformers cartoon episode "Atlantis, Arise!", by Guido Guidi and John-Paul Bove

• 

  All hands abandon ship! All hands abandon... CHOOOOOMMM!

• 

  "Ok, here's the keys back, Dad."

• 

  It's tough to find seats in his size.

• BotCon cover: Black-and-white lineart version of the 30th anniversary cover available at BotCon 2014, several days before the regular retail edition of the comic was released.
• Retailer Exclusive covers: A pair of connecting covers that depict Soundwave in a DJ battle against Vinyl Scratch, by Tony Fleecs. These covers were available as a shared exclusive between Plastic Empire and The Toy Federation, and were first made available at their booth at BotCon 2014.

• 

  At least pick the head up off the ground - sheeesh!

• 

  "I've been waiting a long time for this, you poor excuse for a sound system!"

• 

  "All talk...no shock."

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• More than Meets the Eye #31
• Robots in Disguise #31
• Windblade #3
• 15 Years of IDW: Spotlight on Gabriel Rodriguez
• Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
• IDW: Getting Into Your Head for 15 Years (back cover)

Reprints

• The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 6 (December 10, 2014) ISBN 163140184X / ISBN 978-1631401848
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #28–33.
  • Bonus material includes covers of each issue.
  • Trade paperback format.

• The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 7 (March 21, 2018) ISBN 1684051495 / ISBN 978-1684051496
  • Collects More Than Meets the Eye issues #28–30, #31–33 & #34, and Robots in Disguise issues #28–32 & #33–34.
  • Hardcover format.

• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 61: World Shut Your Mouth (January 8, 2020)
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #28–34.
  • Bonus material includes "Season 2" character poster art, a cover gallery and a forward by Simon Furman.
  • Hardcover format.

• Transformers: Du sköna nya värld (November, 2022)
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #28–38 & #40.
  • Swedish reprint. Hardcover format.

• 

  More Than Meets the Eye Volume 6 – cover art by Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente

• 

  The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 7 – cover art by Marcelo Matere and Tom B. Long

• 

  The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 61: World Shut Your Mouth – cover art by Guido Guidi (Hoist) and Alex Milne

• 

  Du sköna nya värld – cover art by Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente.

References